On The Fly: Brady, A Former Trump Pal, Might Be Loudest Voice Of All

The fallout from President Donald Trump's weekend of sports talk/tweeting spilled into Monday, when a stream of sports figures offered opinions. LeBron James, Gregg Popovich, and even Dale Earnhardt Jr. checked in throughout the day. The most significant take? Trump buddy Tom Brady addressed the president's "SOB" speech during his weekly appearance on WEEI's Kirk & Callahan show. "Yeah, I certainly disagree with what he said," Brady said on the morning show. "I thought it was just divisive. Like I said, I just want to support my teammates. I am never one to say, 'Oh, that is wrong. That is right.' I do believe in what I believe in. I believe in bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Those are the values that my parents instilled in me." Brady locked arms with teammates during the national anthem Sunday. Some of his teammates took the knee during the anthem, drawing some boos. Brady said he heard the crowd reaction. "I think everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do," he said. "If you don't agree, that is fine. You can voice your disagreement, I think that is great. It's part of our democracy. As long as it is done in a peaceful, respectful way, that is what our country has been all about."

The Steelers stood in the tunnel during the anthem at Soldier Field Sunday. Well, all except tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army ranger who stood outside the tunnel with his hand on his chest. On Monday, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he wished the team had taken a different approach and that the Steelers will be on the field for the anthem before future games. … On media day across the NBA, Trump was a popular subject. James, fresh off his "U bum" tweet, had this to say about the state of the union: "The people run this country, not one individual and damn sure not him." … As for hoop talk, James finally addressed the exit of Kyrie Irving: "I tried to do whatever I could do to help the kid out and so he could be the best player he could be. I tried to give him everything, give him as much of my DNA as I could. As I said throughout [last] season, at some point when he was ready to take over the keys, I was ready to give them to him." … And as Irving wore his Celtics uniform for media day in Massachusetts, Isaiah Thomas was talking to reporters in Ohio. The little point guard, still occupying a special place in the hearts of Celtics' fans, said he's feeling good as he recovers from a hip injury. But he's not expected to play before January.

Former UConn great Emeka Okafor is making a comeback. Okafor, who last played in the NBA in 2012-13, has been unsigned the past three seasons as he recovers from a herniated disc in his neck. The No. 2 pick in 2004 was NBA rookie of the year, and averaged 12.3 points and 9.9 rebounds over nine seasons. He joins a young, talented roster — which includes Jahlil Okafor, his distant cousin — which needs a veteran presence. If he still have something left in the tank, Emeka can fill that role. And by the way, Okafor's Twitter bio tells you all you need to know about his Husky pride: "NBA Big Man and former UConn Husky." … The record-tying home run came in the third inning, a two-run shot that gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. In the seventh, Aaron Judge took his place alone in the record book with a solo homer against the Royals. It was No. 50, the most by a rookie in baseball history. Judge's three RBI day fueled an 11-3 victory as he broke Mark McGwire's 30-year-old record for most homers by a rookie. Judge (.283, .418 OBP, .620 slugging percentage) has 13 home runs in September and has regained his stroke, after struggling for about six weeks after the All-Star Game. MVP? Could be.